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(No Model.)

G. P. FOLSOM. SNOW GUARD.

$70,512,179. Patented Jan. 2, 1894.-

UNITED STATES P TENT Qrrrcn.

GEORGE F. FOLSOM, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY M. ESSELEN, MANAGER, OF SAME PLACE.

SNOW-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 512,179, dated January 2, 1894.

Application filed April 26, 1893. Serial No. 47L9 N model-l To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. FoLsoM, of Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in b I1OW:Gi1tIdS, of which the following descriptron, n connection with the accompanying draw ngs, is a specification, like letters on the draw ngs representing like parts.

This invention relatestosnow-guards adapt- :0 ed to be placed upon a roof between the courses of slates or shingles thereon, and which may be applied to finished roofs or during the construction thereof, and has for its ob ect the production of a simple, cheap and I 5 efficient guard which is so constructed as to be the more securelyheld in place the greater the pressure of the snow thereupon.

In accordance therewith myinvention conslsts of a snow-guard having a sheet metal base or support provided with a longitudinal socket at the upper side thereof, and holding ears adapted to catch upon the upper surfaces of two adjacent slates, and a loop-like snow-stop held in said socket, substantially as will be described.

Other features of my invention will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a slate or shingle roof, partly broken away,

with my nvention applied thereto, and Fig.

2 1s a similar view of a modified form of snow-guard, to be described.

I have herein shown portions of two adja- 3 5 cent slates or shingles s, s, of one course, and the lower end of the overlapping slate s of the course above, with the base or support of my snow-guard, to be described, pushed into place and held by and underneath two adjacent slates of a course.

As shown in Fig. 1, partly in dotted lines, the snow-guard consists of sheet metal suitably stamped or cut out, bent to form a base or support a, a, on opposite sides of upturned portions (0 surmounted by a tubular portion a forming a longitudinal socket or holder. In Fig. 1 I have shown this tubular portion as cut transversely and longitudinally to form ears I), b, and b, b, one pair of ears at each end of the longitudinal socket. lNhen the guard is to be placed in position the ears are upturned,as shown by dotted lines, at 19*, Fig. 1, and the lateral supports a, a, are inserted underneath the adjacent slates s, s, of a course, with the bent-up portion or flange a between them, and the guard is pushed up into about the position shown in Fig. 1. One

or both pairs of ears are then bent down over the uppersurfaces of the slates, to catch upon them and hold the guard firmly in place. The longitudinal edges of the supports a are notched, as shown, to form a series of rearwardly extended points 01, d, on the upper and under sides of said supports, said points offering little resistance to the insertion of the guard, but bending outwardly when pressure is brought upon the guard tending to force it down and out of place. A stiff wire having a straight portioncis bent into a loop 0 in a plane substantially at right angles thereto, and preferably, the free end 0 of said loop will be normally below the straight portion 0, to give a spring-like action, as will be described. The straight portion a enters the tubular socket a and the loop forms the 7 snow-stop, preferably off-set from or at one side of said socket, so that when a mass of snow or ice bears against the stop the tendency will be to twist the flange a between the slates s, 3', thus wedging the guard more So firmly in place, and the more the pressure upon the loop the greater this wedging or twisting action, rendering it practically impossible to displace the guard. The loop is compressed until the end 0 rests upon the 8 upper surfaces of one or both slates with considerable pressure,or upon the earsb',if they be used, still further enhancing the hold of the guard upon the roof.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2, the 0 base or supporting portions a a are triangular in shape, with the apices at the lower end of the guard, the upturned portions or flanges a and longitudinal socket a being substantially similar to corresponding parts shown in Fig.1. The lowerend of the socket is split to form pointed ears 12 which are turned down to engage the upper surfaces of the adjacent slates s, s, as shown, and the inclined edges of the parts or are notched, as shown in Fig. 1.

I have shown also in Fig.2a modified form of stop, wherein the end 0 of the loop 0 is 1s extended below and to the opposite side of the straight stem 0, and then bent rearwardly to form a foot 0 The foot 0 when the loop 1s compressed, rests upon the upper surface of the slate adjacent thereto, with considerable force. The loop shown in Fig. 2 is laterally offset from its stem and from the socket a so that the Wedging or twisting of the guard 1s obtained by weight of the snow against the stop, but the loop may be substantially as shown in Fig. 1, wherein the shank 1s centrally located with relation to the bottom of the loop. The twisting action is not sufficientto distort the guard, as the flange forming the lower part of the socket is held firmly between the adjacent edges of the slates.

This invention is not restricted to the exact shape or size of the support or base, nor to the number of holding ears, and the loopllke snow-stop may be varied in shape or contour without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim- 1. Asnow-guard consisting of a sheet metal base or support provided with a longitudinal socket at the upper side thereof, and holding ears adapted to catch upon the upper surfaces of two adjacent slates, and a loop-like snow-stop held in said socket, substantially as described.

.2. A snow-guard consisting of a sheet metal base orsupport provided with a longitudinal socket at the upper side thereof, and holding ears adapted to catch upon the upper surfacesof two adjacent slates, and a loop-like snow-stop held in and laterally oifset from said socket, substantially as described.

3. A snow-guard composed of sheet metal bent to form alongitudinal socket and lateral supports, and with holding cars at the end of said socket adapted to bear upon the upper surfaces of adjacent slates, and a wire having a stem to enter said socket and bent laterally to form a loop-like snow-stop, substantially as described.

4. A sheet metal base having a longitudinal socket, and holding ears, and a wire having a straight stem held. in said socket and bent into a spring loop to form a snow-stop, the end of said loop being adapted to be sprung over the upper surfaces of adjacent slates, substantially as described.

5. A snow-guard composed of sheet metal bent to form a longitudinal socket and lateral supports having engaging points at their edges, and provided with holding ears adapted to engage the upper surfaces of adjacent slates, and a spring-loop held in said socket to form a snow-stop offset therefrom, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE F. FOLSOM.

Witnesses:

G-Eo. W. GREGORY, JOHN C. EDWARDS. 

